1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides an automatic edge guide for a peripheral device. More specifically, the present invention provides an automatic edge guide which aligns the edges of media being loaded into the peripheral device by urging the media against an opposed stationary guide member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital photo printing has increased in popularity in recent years due to the increased popularity of digital cameras. Generally, digital cameras convert an optical image to a digital image through a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor or the like. The digital image may then be saved to an image memory for further data processing. In recent years digital camera features have improved significantly. For example, digital camera resolutions and memory storage capabilities have increased while prices for such features have steadily decreased, leading to increased digital camera sales. One perceived drawback associated with digital cameras is that users do not like printing digital images on standard printing paper. Instead, users want pictures printed having the look, feel and size of photos developed by professional developers. In order to overcome this perceived drawback of digital photography, manufacturers have developed various photo printers which print the digital images to media comparable to professionally developed photos.
However, one problem commonly realized with such photo printers, as well as other peripheral devices, is alignment of the edges of the photo media in the media pick feed mechanism. When edges of the photo media are misaligned, skewing results and the printed image may not be aligned properly on the photo media. Prior art devices have utilized slidable guides which are typically manually manipulated in order to properly adjust for media of varying sizes.